The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday voted to permit lounges where people can consume marijuana.
Elected officials voted 4-1 to pass the bill, sponsored by Councilman Bob Coffin, just before the draft ordinance was scheduled to expire. Councilman Stavros Anthony — a retired Metropolitan Police Department captain — voted no, preferring the city follow the lead of the state and invite other governments to weigh in.
“It can’t just be the city of Las Vegas,” Anthony said.
But a state bill to explicitly legalize marijuana lounges died this session, and Coffin was clear: “The state will catch up. We can’t wait for the state to act.”
Although there’s no provision in state law for lounges, the Legislative Counsel Bureau issued an opinion in 2017 that said under existing law, local governments could license such businesses provided that patrons were at least 21 years old and that marijuana use was not visible to the public.
